The Secrets of Ice and Snow
by finnhat
Summary: PB found Simon Petrikov's journal. Could this shed light on the Mushroom war?
1. The Secrets of Ice and Snow: The Journal

"Ice King! When are you going to stop stealing princesses you butt!?" Finn furiously screamed as he lunged forward giving the floating Ice King a kick to the head, knocking Wildberry Princess out of his freezing grasp.

"Aww, you guys just keep all the babes to yourself! You guys are always ruining my dates!" said Ice King as he floated away into the snow-blanketed Ice Kingdom.

"Are you okay Wildberry Princess?" "

Why, yes Finn, I'm fine. Thank you for saving me." Said Wildberry Princess in her quiet and soothing baby voice.

"Man… What's wrong with that dude?" Finn asked as he looked in the direction of where the Ice King had took off.

"Ughh… Gunter, get out of my way… Daddy's had a rough day today." Ice King said with a loud groan.

"Wenk?"

"Yes Gunter, Finn and Jake beat me up again."

"Wenk."

"Yeah, why do they always get into my man-biz? It's not like they want to marry them, right?"

_Freeze them all. Listen to me. Obey only frost._

"Why do they hate me!? I will kill them!" Ice King screamed as he spazzed out and launched Ice Rays all over the room.

"PB? You here?" Finn asked as they knocked on the Candy Castle door.

The door opened as Princess Bubblegum came out. "Hey guys, glad you finally made it. I want to show you something." She said as they walked down the hall to her room. She took a book from the top of her dresser. It was worn, dirty, and it had aged quite a bit, half of the spine was torn, but there was something about this book that was interesting.

"What is it?" Asked Jake curiously.

Princess Bubblegum motioned to her study.

They all sat down around her small table and she put the book in the middle.

"Well, here's how it started: I was at the border of the Ice Kingdom trying to find a penguin or a DNA sample so I could study them in my lab. I wanted to find out how the cabbage Gunther gave birth to a magical Cat. I saw something in the snow ahead, so I headed over there to see what it was. To my dismay it was not a penguin. It was a book, the one you see in front of you."

"Oh… Soooo is it an evil book or something?" Asked Finn.

Princess Bubblegum chuckled. "No, you silly boy, but it seems important. It looks like a journal of some sort, so I wanted you guys to come over to see if we could figure out what it was. I'm not sure if the book is cursed or something, due to the fact I found it in the Ice Kingdom, so I needed someone to call if something goes wrong."

"Maybe it's the Ice King's journal! Maybe there's some evil secrets in here just like in those tapes me and Jake watched!" Finn said ecstatically.

"Ok, I'll open it up and start reading it. Let's see here…. It says it belongs to someone named Simon Petrikov. It says:"

"_Hello. My name is Simon Petrikov. I am going to record my thoughts in this journal, seeing that it might be a good idea to have important events in one place so I can look back at them. Well, me and my fiancé, Betty, are in Scandinavia for a what I think is a well-deserved vacation."_

"Princess Bubblegum, what's a Scanadvia?" Finn finished by sticking is tongue out and spat because he couldn't pronounce the unfamiliar word.

"Scandinavia? Ummm… I'm not sure. Hmmm… This must've been written before the Great Mushroom War. Maybe it could tell us some information about what caused it." PB responded, getting more inquisitive by the minute.

"_After I found the Enchiridion, a mysterious piece of literacy which claimed it was the "Hero's Text", we decided that we should, well, take a break. Me and Betty just arrived at our hotel where we'll be staying for 2 weeks."_

"The Enchiridion!? This guy found it!?" Finn asked.

"Yeah I guess so." Said Princess Bubblegum, also thinking to ask the Minotaur about where he retrieved the Enchiridion.

"This could be a really important find guys! We might be able to find out what happened to the Humans as well!" Princess Bubblegum exclaimed with growing enthusiasm.

"Yeah!" Finn said, thinking if the humans could still be alive somewhere waiting for him.

"Can we read more tomorrow? I want to go home and play BMO." Said Jake lazily.

"Fine, but I want to read this as soon as possible. So You guys better come in here first thing in the morning." Said PB.

Jake sputtered out with his lips as he and Finn walked away, following with a half-hearted "Whatever."


	2. The Secrets of Ice and Snow: The Crown

_Give In. You will. We will make you. If you don't, you will perish. We will teach you the secrets of ice and snow. Let the frost take over you. It will protect you._

"Ugh… No… Who are you? You're always getting in my sexy bod and messing with my brain you weird butt!" the Ice King said as he clutched at his head.

_You fight because you hold onto her. But you don't even remember her name. She is dead. She is dead because she didn't have us. But you have us. That is why you live and breathe today. You still resist, you etch your true thoughts into the back of your mind, making us perform these needless tasks of capturing princesses._

The Ice King squeezed his hands into fists and collapsed onto the floor, shaking and screaming about ice, snow, the crown and…. Her. What was her name? Why couldn't he remember? He never could remember anything about her.

"What do you want from me!? I don't even know you!"

_You hang on to them. Yes, not only her. The vampire. She is not dead. But she hates you. She doesn't care about you anymore. No one likes you. That stupid boy and the dog. You could freeze them all. Make everyone heed your commands. All you have to do is give in._

Suddenly, the pictures came. Something horrible. He didn't remember it, but he knew it was bad. It came closer into view, making a whistling sound as it came. It was coming from the sky, from a plane. He remembers the strange sign with the yellow and black on it. He put the crown on. Why did he put the crown on? The people around him were screaming hysterically. They were looking out the window too. Some started running. Some hugged each other. Some of them cried. I just stood there and watched it. I was in a suit. I looked weird. I don't look like that. Maybe it's not me. But I know it's me. The plane that dropped the…. Thing…. It was speeding away. The thing hit the ground, and out came yellow and orange. And smoke. So much smoke. I stood. After the thing hit the ground, I was still standing in the same place. The crown, it made everything that came to me into ice, shrapnel and blood alike. I saw dead people. So many. The building was gone. Why was the building gone? Why were the people dead? They were all humans. Why were they humans? There was only one. That boy with the hat. I turned around. My face was weird. I had… glasses… no… I don't wear glasses. I'm not a nerd. The ground was black. No, it's supposed to be green! Why is it black!?

A bright flash of light cut through the memory.

"Gahhhh! The Ice King emitted an animal-like scream as he fainted, collapsing on the floor.


	3. The Secrets of Ice and Snow: It Started

"Okay guys, let's see if this book can give us some more information about the war." Princess Bubblegum said as they sat down in her study.

"Mathematical! Maybe I can find out if there's another human still alive! Like Simon!" Finn said, filled with curiosity and enthusiasm.

"Okay, let's see where we left off." Said Princess Bubblegum

"_Oh it's horrible! I was out to get a surprise present for Betty who was still soundly sleeping, for I left at the break of dawn. I remember that I left a note saying I was going for a walk. I entered a curio store near the docks, and looked if they had anything interesting. I was then approached by a strange man. There was something about him… I don't know what it was, but his skin, it was a strange color. He had just the slightest tint of blue, and he had bags under his eyes. He had long, white hair and he probably hadn't shaved in days, he had a snow-white beard that was fairly long. He seemed very tired, but he was friendly, but he was shivering and stammered as he spoke. I considered calling the hospital and taking him there. He clearly worked at the docks, he had that fishy smell and had a uniform on. He asked if I was looking for something interesting. I said yes. He took something out from behind his back. It was a crown. I marveled at it. It must've been made of pure gold, and it had three rubies engraved in the front. I was enthused that I found something interesting for Betty, but I realized I couldn't possibly afford it. But then to my luck, he said I could have it for free. He handed it to me, but the second he did, he ran off as fast as he could. I thought nothing of it, I was entranced that I had gotten this beautiful crown for free! I went back to the hotel where I found Betty awake watching TV and eating some cereal on the couch. She looked at me and gave me one of her radiant smiles, and said good morning. Her smiles were always special to me. I pulled out the crown and showed it to her, and she gasped, saying how beautiful it was. I put it on to make her laugh, but then the visions happened. They leapt at my mind, whispering to me about the ice and snow, how it would save me, how I should give in. I refused, I fought, I shouted. I realized it was the crown, and I immediately took it off. Betty stood in the same place in front of me I had seen her last, but instead of her smile, she was horrified. I opened my mouth to apologize, but she just ran out the door. She didn't take anything, she just ran. 4 hours have passed now, and I haven't seen her. I... I don't know if she will come back."_

"Hey Princess Bubblegum… That crown must be the Ice King's crown! Maybe the Ice King is Simon Petrikov!" Jake said with newfound curiosity.

"No… That's impossible. The Mushroom War was about 1,000 years ago. I don't think anyone could survive that long, unless they were a vampire, like Marceline." PB replied.

"Let's read more so we can find out!" Finn said. He wanted to know more, it was like the book was just another adventure to him.

"Ok then…" PB said.

"_1 week has passed. I have returned to America, seeing that the vacation wouldn't be entertaining at all without my princess, Betty. I have called her cell phone, her home, her family, none of them pick up the phone. What did I do when I wore that crown? Russia, Korea, Great Britain, America, and numerous other countries are becoming more cautious and aggressive toward each other. I have discussed this with many other of my colleagues. We speculate something is causing the world leaders to turn against each other. Something must've happened. But what? It might be because many countries are working on improving nuclear technology. We might be on the brink of nuclear war. The president and Congress deny anything strange, but that is a lie. Something is happening. A conspiracy perhaps? Whatever you would like to call it, something is happening. I just want Betty here. My Betty._

_1 month has passed now. It happened. The various countries started disputing, and many of the countries who have no vast armies or nuclear technology have fallen. Korea launched a nuclear missile on central America. We responded by laying the hydrogen bomb on them, most of their citizens and leaders have fled the country. This is madness, it's all useless fighting. Government officials still won't tell us what is conspiring, even after a third of our country has been blown to bits. There is no more of England. Russia dropped numerous hydrogen bombs on Great Britain, and we still have no contact with the remaining survivors there. The explosion has created a huge gash in the side of the world. France has sided with America. I don't know what will happen next. I hope Betty is alright. But I know I am not. If I do not have the crown on my person, I get terribly sick. I wear it on a loop attached to my belt. My body temperature has lowered to about 86 degrees Fahrenheit. My hair has turned white, and has lengthened greatly. I now have a beard. Whenever I try to shave it, it just comes back longer the next day. My sanity is deteriorating. This journal has become my only friend now. It's more than just a journal now. It's a message. If anyone finds this, I hope you can forgive me for what I do when I lose my sanity. _

_Another week has passed. Russia laid down numerous hydrogen bombs on America. Most of the population has either fled or been killed. What remains of the government ordered the various Naval Submarines stationed to release their Trident D5 Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles on Russia. Three fourths of Russia was blown to oblivion. What is the cause of all this needless bloodshed!? Why!?_

_It's terrible. I sit here crying as I write this. I found a quite large government shelter where many survivors are staying and I saw what I thought was Betty. My jaw hung wide open, and I ran to her. She apologized about leaving me, but she was visibly frightened of me. I told her it was the crown, and she hugged me, tears streaming down her face. But then there was this sound. It sounded like something speeding toward us. Everyone there paused and heard it too. Before we could brace for the impact, the bomb came straight through the building and exploded. The crown froze everything that came my way. Now I know why it was saying it would save me. When the smoke cleared, I was completely unharmed, but everyone in the shelter was dead, burned or cut by shrapnel. I hurried to Betty. She had minor burns everywhere, but large pieces of shrapnel had cut into her stomach and head. I held her and she looked at me with her beautiful eyes. I told her I would find some way to save her, but she knew I couldn't. I told her I was so sorry for what I did with the crown. So very sorry…. She gave me the last glorious smile she would ever give, and said she loved me. And then I felt her blood stop. I let her down and shut her eyes. I saw her glasses near her arm and put them in my pocket. It would be the one thing I would keep to remember my princess. The crown started talking to me. It said it could help me avenge Betty. I saw the aircraft that dropped the bomb. It was flying at a very high rate. I put the crown on with rage and guilt in my heart. I raised my arms, and it felt like frost was going through my blood vessels. Beams of ice launched at the speed of lightning, and the plane was shot down. Various parts of it were covered in frost, and smoke started billowing from the left wing. A small implosion took place in the sky, and the plane spiraled downward. I watched as the plane exploded as it hit the ground. Now I feel terrible for what I did. I was going against my own words that this war was just pure madness._

_It is the next day. I have been trying to find survivors in the wreckage of the world. I seem to be near the US 101 exit. That's not the important part, anyway. I have found company. A little girl named Marceline. She tells me she is a half-demon. Although demons are usually evil, she says she is a "nice little girl." I believe her. She is very kind and gentle. I found her crying in the street, wearing overalls and muttering something about her father. I ran to a nearby toy store, took a stuffed teddy bear and gave it to her. She has deemed it "Hambo" and loves it unconditionally. She tells me her father is the ruler of a seemingly-horrid place called the Nightosphere, and causes everyone there pain and misery. She says he didn't care about Marceline and her mother. I asked her about her mother. She told me she was very kind, but they were separated during a bomb explosion. We decided to stick together, and try and survive in this wasteland. She has grown to me already, but I fear for her when I lose my sanity._

"Marceline!?" Finn said. It was like he just took a blow to the face from a giant Cyclops.

"We have to go talk to her!" Princess Bubblegum said. "I hypothesized she was probably about 100 years old, but not 1,000!"


	4. The Secrets of Ice and Snow: Retribution

"Ughh… Gunter…. What happened?" The Ice King said as he slowly got up from the ground.

"Wenk."

"Oh yeah, daddy had another one of those dreams. Who is that guy? I guess he must be attracted to my sexy hot bod." The Ice King said as he lifted his robe and started dancing around.

"Wenk…" Gunter said as he put his flipper on his face.

"Marceline! Marceline!" Finn Shouted as he banged against Marceline's door.

"What is it? Gosh." Said Marceline nonchalantly as she stepped out of the door.

"Hey guys. Oh, Bonnibel. Haven't seen you in awhile."

"Marceline, do you know who Simon Petrikov is?" Said Princess Bubblegum seriously.

Marceline's face turned blank. "Get inside." She ordered. They all stepped inside and sat on a couch while Marceline locked the door and hung curtains over the windows.

"How do you know Simon!?" asked Marceline with a slight bit of sadness in her voice.

"We found his journal. We read it and he said he met you when you were a girl." Said Finn.

"Ughhh… So what do you guys want? I… I don't like talking about that… time period." Said Marceline angrily.

Princess Bubblegum frowned. "We understand if it's hard to- She was cut off by Marceline

"No you don't understand! He was my only living friend, and you don't know what it was like! Everything smelled foul, all the smoke and fire, and everything in sight was burned or dead or destroyed! Everyone you knew was dead! And you had to anticipate when a bomb would fall near you every second! It was hard to just get food! There was radioactive junk that could kill you everywhere! And then how would you like it if your best and only friend who looked after you turned insane!?" Marceline said with rage.

Finn, Jake, and PB all had a horrified look on their face.

"You wanted to know what happened, and there you have it!" She sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry, it was just a really hard time." she said calmly.

They all sat together for a minute when PB broke the silence.

"Is Simon Petrikov the Ice King?" She finally asked.

Marceline took a deep breath, and replied: "Yes."

"We might be able to help him!" Finn said heroically.

"I could try and examine him in my lab to see if there's a way to reverse what has happened to him." PB said with confidence.

"I'm coming too." Said Marceline. She had newfound hope that maybe her friend could come back to her, escape from the vast labyrinth in his mind.

The song she played with him a couple weeks back rang in her mind.

_Marceline, is it just you and me in the wreckage of the world?_

_That must be so confusing for a little girl._

_And I know you need me to be here with you._

_But I'm losing myself and I'm afraid you're going to lose me, too._

_This magic keeps me alive,_

_But it's making me crazy._

_I need to save you,_

_But who's going to save me?_

_Please forgive me for whatever I do_

_When I don't remember you._

_Marceline,_

_I can feel myself slipping away._

_I can't remember what it made me say. _

_But I remember that I saw you frown_

_I swear it wasn't me, it was the crown._

_This magic keeps me alive,_

_But it's making me crazy._

_And I need to save you,_

_But who's going to save me?_

_Please forgive me for whatever I do_

_When I don't remember you._

"Well I'm going to take a nap Gunter. You know when daddy has his crazy wizard nightmares he needs to rest."

"Wenk."

"Simon?" Called Marceline as the four burst into the Ice Castle.

The Ice King got up and went over to them.

"Oh my glob! Are we having a slumber party guys?" The Ice King asked excitedly.

"Wha-? No!" said PB.

"We know who you are! You're Simon Petrikov!" Finn exclaimed.

"Wha-?"

_Simon Petrikov._

The words rang through his head.

_Simon Petrikov._

_Simon._

"I don't know what you guys are talking about…" said Ice King as he grasped his forehead with one hand.

"Let's get him to my lab." Said PB.

Jake stretched into his giant form and headed to the Candy Kingdom.

"Ok, c'mon Simon." Said Marceline calmly as the Ice King clutched his head with both hands. The name kept ringing through his head. The crown told him to run. They laid him on a bed that was connected to a large machine. PB pressed a few buttons and large clear tubes enclosed the Ice King and the bed.

"Okay, let's see here…. His body temperature is 43.7 degrees Fahrenheit. Marceline, hand me the crown and the journal."

She sat down and flipped through the journal to see if Simon tested any cure experiments on himself, but she didn't find anything. She examined the crown, but it had no other secrets. She pressed a couple more buttons and various colored lasers and lights started flashing in the tube. The tube started spinning, but the bed stayed still. The Ice King was fighting the crown, and he was clearly in a great amount of pain.

"We'll just have to wait it out." Said PB as she motioned everyone out of the room. All four of them sat and read more of the journal while Marceline tried to remember every event. She said that Simon taught her how to play guitar and bass, and she turned her family axe into the axe-bass to remember him by. After what was a good 5 hours, a small cube in PB's pocket started beeping and they went and opened the door. Simon Petrikov was already out of the machine, sitting in a chair. "Thank you all… I thought I would never escape the crown."

Marceline had tears in her eyes, processing the event, and she ran to Simon and hugged him. He hugged her back uncontrollably. After she let go, Simon headed to Finn.

"So we're the last humans on Earth, huh?" Finn said.

"I suppose so." He said, his eyes welling up at the thought of being without his family, his friends, his Betty.

PB handed Simon his journal. He flipped through it to the last page. There were Betty's glasses. The journal had somehow protected them, as they were clear and intact. He held them to his chest and sighed.

"I'm sorry about Betty…" Said Princess Bubblegum.

"She's in a better place now." He said.

He looked up and knew she was looking at him from the heavens, giving him one of her radiant smiles.

_**Fin**_


End file.
